1. FESTIVALS: Shayani Ekadashi Or Maha- Ekadashi Is Aashadh Shukla 11, July 19 This Year, Also Known As Ashadhi Ekadashi. On
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
: P.O.BOX 5728 SRT NAGAR, NEW DELHI 110055 (BHARAT); Email : [email protected] No. Sm1306/2070 (For Private Circulation Only) Ashaddha Krishna 9 Vik Samvat 2070. Yugabda 5115 Tel: 91-11- 23684445; Fax: 91-11-23517722 1 July 2013. 1. FESTIVALS: Shayani Ekadashi or Maha- Approx 5000 volunteers are serving ekadashi is Aashadh Shukla 11, July 19 this year, tirelessly in different areas including flood also known as Ashadhi Ekadashi. On this day affected valleys and plains like Haridwar, images of Vishnu and Lakshmi are worshipped, Rishikesh, etc. the entire night is spent singing prayers, and There are many places where roads are devotees keep fast and take vows on this day, to be completely washed away. There is no way for observed during the entire chaturmas. These may the vehicular traffic to tread on. Volunteers have include, giving up a food item or fasting on every to walk kilometres together carrying the relief Ekadashi day. It is believed that Vishnu falls material on their backs. They are also crossing asleep in Ksheersagar on Shesha n āga. Thus the tough & high hills with the load of relief items, day is also called Dev-Shayani or Hari-shayani trying to reach far flung villages. Ekadashi. Vishnu finally awakens from his In Chamba, there is a camp running since slumber four months later on Prabodhini Ekadashi 22 June where approx 10,000 people are being – Kartik Shukla 11, this period is known as provided food and medical treatment regularly. Chaturmas. Chamba is a place which is a junction This day, a huge yatra or religious procession of which connects all four ways of Chardham pilgrims known as Pandharpur Ashadi Ekadasi Yatra (Gangotri, Yamunotri, Kedarnath & Waari Yatra culminates at Pandharpur, in Solapur Badrinath). A huge shelter has been established district in south Maharashtra. in village Dikhol near Chamba where pilgrims 2. UTTARANCHAL DAIVI APADA PEEDIT are being provided food, medicine and SAHAYATA SAMITI (UDAPSS) everything they need. DEHRADUN, UTTARAKHAND : RSS Transport assistance provided to approx swayamsevaks and its affiliated organizations 8,200 yatris from Uttarkashi & Chinyali Saudh were in the forefront of rescue – relief and to Rishikesh from 21st June to 24th June, by rehabilitation efforts during the recent tragedy in available vehicles: Bus, truck, car, sumo, jeep, Uttarakhand region where thousands of pilgrims tempo & police vehicles etc. stranded on the mountains, cut off from the world, Approx 200 villages are worst affected in and many of them lost their lives. Following is the floods and some of them are totally washed brief report by Sewa International Team visiting out. Volunteers are trying their best to reach out the areas affected by flash floods. to these villages/villagers and provide them Total 15 centers are being run at different initial relief. places: Rishikesh, Chamba, Dhansali, Flood devastated villagers, who have been Joshimath, Karnprayag, Chamoli, Srinagar, rendered shelterless, are being shifted to safer Netwar, Haridwar, Dehradun, Pokhari, Dhatyud, places and temporary shelters by volunteers. Uttarkashi, Guptkashi, Maneri etc. From the day 1 (16-June) till now 20 truck Types of Camps: Food distribution, loads of relief material have been sent to flood medical camps, rescue assistance, transportation affected areas from Dehradun alone that to safe places, helpline centres for relatives of contains: pulses, rice, sugar, tea, spices, clothes, yatrees, blankets, milk powder, water bottles, medicines, 1 biscuits, and packed food etc. Material supplies 70 Houses in Joshiyada village were from other centres like Rishikesh, Haridwar, etc completely washed away, causing many are also being sent. Some of the camps above casualties. Rotary Club donated 35 tents to mentioned are being supported by various affected families and our volunteer team is charity organizations with truckloads of raw providing them food, cloths, gas cylinders, food material. Even the civil supplies being medicines, blankets and all necessary items. supplied by the Uttarkhand Government is Three relief camps in Uttarkashi district reaching our camps because of the paucity of are working round the clock – Maneri, volunteers. Lakshyeswar and Naitawaar. Army and Indo-Tibet Border Force The volunteers serving in the Narayana personnel are being assisted by volunteers in Koti, Rudraprayag relief camp have identified rescue operations and providing the personnel 27 babies- 6months to 4 years- who have been with food, shelter and all other possible orphaned or are left with their lone mother or necessary help. grandparents due to the floods. Volunteers have Three teams from UDAPSS sent to three already provided some sort of service for the different locations, namely- 1.Badrinath- babies and are working on their appropriate Hemkund Sahib, 2. Kedarnath, & 3. Gangotri- rehabilitation. Yamunotri- for surveying the area and assessing The rehabilitation program will require the loss of life and property. This will help is in experts in construction in Himalayan/hilly planning the rehabilitation program. region for designing and constructing houses. The floods have also affected the schools, Huge funding would be required for the hostels run by UDAPSS, Vidya Bharati and proposed rehabilitation program in which other organizations in a big way which will houses, community centres, schools, clinics, etc surely affect the student population. One such will have to be reconstructed. Doctors and major project which was established after the health assistants are also needed in good number 1991 earthquake is located in Maneri (14 kms for reaching out to many flood affected villages. from Uttarkashi), Sewashram which is a school We would provide the details of these with residential facility. Twelve rooms of this requirements soon. hostel are washed away in this flood. UDAPSS and Sewa International have Remaining part of hostel has been appealed for donations. Please visit converted to a relief camp (providing food, www.sewainternational.org for more medicines, shelter) for needy people. Rotary information. Club and Azim Premji Club were impressed by 3. BHARAT'S FIRST EVER DEDICATED the Sewa offered here by the dedicated NAVIGATION SATELLITE LAUNCHED: In volunteers and have supported this camp with a landmark journey into a new era of space relief materials. This camp was started on 18th application, Bharat on July 2 successfully June. This is the nearest location to Gangotri and launched its first dedicated navigation satellite people started streaming in soon after the floods. using the Polar satellite Launch Vehicle which Till now 7,500 pilgrims (including army blasted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre soldiers) were provided food for 7 days round at Shriharikota – Andhra Pradesh. the clock. The country's workhorse PSLV ejected IRNSS-1A Women from Bhubaneshwari Ashram satellite, the first of the seven satellites have been actively volunteering since the camp constituting the Indian Regional Navigation is established, supporting the camp with cooking Satellite System (IRNSS) space segment, which food at Maneri Sewashram Camp. has a mission life of 10 years. It is designed to 2 provide accurate position information service to Parents of the participating children were users in the country as well as the region overjoyed on the occasion. Shreya Venkatesh, a extending up to 1,500 km from its boundary. contestant (13) from Phoenix, AZ said that she "IRNSS-1A was launched at a cost of enjoyed learning (Hindu) culture and about Swami approximately Rs 125 crore," ISRO chairman K Vivekananda. Another contestant, Suhas Radhakrishnan said after the launch. Consisting of Subramaniam (13) from San Diego felt that this a space segment and a ground segment, IRNSS was an opportunity to learn about great has three satellites in geostationary orbit and four personalities from the national and cultural past. satellites in inclined geosynchronous orbit and is Subramaniam said, “I knew about Shri Krishna, to be completed before 2015. but because of Dharma Bee, I got to know a lot The launch was "very precise" he said, adding that about Swami Vivekananda.” when the target of apogee was aimed at 20,650 km “We are extremely happy to report that more than plus or minus 750 km, the rocket achieved an 1000 Sewa (service) projects were executed by apogee of 20,625 km. children all across the USA. Parents and children 4. NATIONAL DHARMA BEE CONTEST: are already requesting similar future events,” said Dharma Bee, the first national contest of its kind Sreevidya Radhakrishna, National Coordinator of in the U.S., which drew well over 3,000 children Dharma Bee. HSS conducts a structured values from around the country, concluded in Chicago on education program through its 150 chapters June 15. The Dharma Bee tested students' nationwide to develop strong character and knowledge about Vivekananda and other Hindu teamwork and leadership skills and to organize a leaders in a written test, oral presentation and team dynamic and flourishing Hindu-American project. It included speech contest, poster community. presentation, written test and team activity in four 5. UTTARAKHAND TRAGEDY: The lesson age groups between grades K-8th grade. More here is: Don’t abuse Nature - A week after than 130 children, short-listed from regional several hundred people have lost their lives and competitions, were invited to participate in the thousands remain untraced in the disaster that hit final round held in Chicago on June 15. Uttarakhand, the authorities are coming around to Congresswoman Tulasi Gabbard, Chief Guest for the view that they had grievously erred in ignoring the function, in her remarks on the occasion of the warning signals which were put out by official prize distribution on June 16, said the Dharma Bee agencies and non-Governmental organisations. was not just a competition to win a medal or title Perhaps, they had believed that the red flag was as the children have taken to their hearts the merely an instance of crying wolf. The devastation teachings of the Bhagavad Gita and have found a that has occurred will have disabused them of this way to understand the message.